Ukraine to stop buying Russian gas after talks on new deal fail

Russia and Ukraine failed to reach a new agreement on gas prices at talks in Vienna on Tuesday, leading to Ukraine suspending its purchase of Russian gas.

Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak and Ukraine’s Energy and Coal Minister Vladimir Demchishin both admitted to reporters that the negotiations had born no fruit. Demchishin added that there would be a new round of talks in September.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s energy company, Naftogaz, will stop buying gas from Russia as of Wednesday, July 1.

The Eurogroup has refused to extend the bailout program to Greece, rejecting PM Alexis Tsipras’ latest request for a new bailout, Finnish Finance Minister Alexander Stubb said at Tuesday’s teleconference.

The Eurogroup rejected two of the three terms proposed by the Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras, Stubb added.

Obama announces labor rule to make 5 million more Americans eligible for overtime pay

Ferry workers in France faced with losing their jobs have again protested in Calais, cutting sea and rail links to Britain. Eurotunnel was forced to close as strikers burned tires on train tracks and police made several arrests, and long queues of stranded lorries unable to board ferries or flatbed rail transports started to tail back on port service roads. Passengers were stranded, too, with no-one on hand at stations. To keep them informed or deal with their complaints. Families were stuck in cars in the baking sun of a heat wave.

“The office here is empty, there is no-one in the office to tell you what to do, what to do with your ticket, how to get reimbursements on your ticket. They did say at passport control that MyFerryLink would give you an alternative ticket for the Channel Tunnel, on the train, under the tunnel, but there is no one in the office to do that,” said one British traveler.

This is the second strike in less than a week to close the channel crossings. On Monday a court prevented the workers’ co-operative that currently runs MyFerryLink from extending its contract with Eurotunnel. A Danish company, DFDS, is set to take over operations on July 2, but intends to sack nearly two-thirds of the workforce.

Two people have reportedly died after an apparent suicide bid started a fire aboard a bullet train in Japan. According to a Japan rail spokesperson a man had poured flammable liquid over himself, before setting himself alight in a toilet in the front carriage. Kyodo news agency, quoting an eyewitness, identified one man dead as being the man who behind the self-immolation. A woman was found nearby lying immobile, having suffered heart failure., according to local media.

There has been no immediate indication of the motive of the man’s actions. The train, carrying around 1,000 passengers made an emergency stop on its way from Tokyo to Osaka when smoke began to fill a carriage.

Terror arrived at a Tunisian beach resort on Friday when at least 37 people were killed in a mass shooting by suspected Islamist militants. Dozens more were wounded when at least one attacker struck at a packed beach and five star hotel at the popular Sousse resort. Officials said the dead included British, German, Belgian and Irish tourists as well as Tunisians.

Sousse is one of Tunisia’s most visited beach destinations, drawing around 1.2 million tourists every year.Authorities said the attacker posed as a beach-goer, wearing shorts and hiding his Kalashnikov under an umbrella. He was later shot dead by security forces.There were unconfirmed reports of a second gunman. Witnesses told how their peaceful holiday suddenly turned into carnage. Some described how terrified sunbathers started running from the beach after hearing the sudden sound of gunfire.

U.S. officials are sounding a holiday terror alarm that's one of the most serious in years. Their concern: recent attacks overseas combined with stepped-up recruiting in the U.S. – and a call-to-arms during Ramadan.

An overwhelming majority of Russian citizens have spoken against the wearing of traditional Muslim headgear by schoolchildren and students and a large part of these people said they preferred hijab not to be used at all.

According to a poll conducted by the independent research center Levada in mid-June this year, 74 percent of Russians oppose the use of hijab in schools, while 18 percent answered that they saw nothing wrong with this and 9 percent said found it difficult to give a simple answer.At the same time, 38 percent of those who opposed hijab in schools said they were categorically against this type of religious headgear in general.

The Muslim population of the Russian Federation amounts to about 10 percent and the traditions of this religion have already reached Federal level.

In February this year the Supreme Court supported the ban of Muslim headgear in schools introduced last fall by authorities in the Russian Republic of Mordovia. The judge turned down the complaint of local Muslim community saying that the ban on wearing headscarves in schools did not prevent Muslims from believing in God and did not infringe anyone’s constitutional rights.

Blast on the road to Kabul Airport, close to US Embassy & Supreme Court

A huge explosion has been reported near Kabul International Airport, close to the US Embassy and Supreme Court, numerous reports say, adding that military vehicles are in the area where the blast occurred.

Twelve crew members were on board the plane, AP reported Indonesian Air Force operations commander Agus Dwi Putranto as saying on local TV. The number of passengers on board as yet remains unknown.Al-Jazeera correspondent Stephanie Dekker tweeted that the pilots had asked to return to base after take-off as something was wrong with the plane. After the plane turned around, it crashed, Dekker said.INC News, 30/06/2015 - via RT

President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev announced that his country will extend and expand the trial visa-free regime announced last year and due to end this July. Now, citizens from 20 countries will not need visas for short trips to Kazakhstan, he announced at a Kazakh-Italian business forum in Milan on June 27. About 20 agreements for a total amount of $500 million were also signed at the forum.

The Kazakh delegation headed by Nazarbayev visited Milan to take part in a ceremony dedicated to the National Day of Kazakhstan at EXPO Milano 2015 as well as to visit the business forum. The President also held bilateral talks with Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi.

Delivering a speech at the business forum, Nazarbayev said, “Investors are given the opportunity to attract foreign labour without any quotas and permits. Besides, we have established a visa-free regime for investors from 10 countries, including Italy. From July 15, we will prolong the visa-free regime for investors, and extended it for another 10 countries: Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Hungary, Monaco, Singapore, Australia, Norway, Sweden and Finland. I think not many countries in the world can offer such beneficial conditions for investors."

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) with an integrated single market of 180 million people makes Kazakhstan attractive for investments, Nazarbayev pointed out. The trade bloc of Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia introduces a free movement of goods, capital, services and workforce. Kazakhstan can be considered as a gate to the EAEU, he explained.

The court in Amsterdam ruled on Thursday that Facebook has to find out who posted the sex tape of a 21 year old woman from Werkendam on the site, NOS reports.

The sex tape featuring the woman and her ex-boyfriend appeared on the social network site in January. It was removed again on February 10th, but had been frequently downloaded and is still being shared. The ex-boyfriend, who made the film, denies putting it online. Which is why the woman filed a lawsuit against Facebook to find out who was responsible. According to her lawyer, this video has turned the woman’s life into a living hell.

Facebook informed the woman that they could not give her any information, because the data has been removed from their servers. According to the company, this type of data is only stored for 90 days.

The court ruled that the perpetrator acted illegally and that Facebook is the only source of information on who the perpetrator may be. The company must therefore fulfill its legal duty and provide any information they have to the victim within two weeks. If Facebook maintains that the data is gone, an independent third party will be called in to verify.

A 42-year-old Arubian man has died in a Dutch hospital following a violent arrest by The Hague police, local media reported, citing witnesses saying Mitch Henriquez was brutally beaten by law enforcement officers. An investigation has been launched.

The Prosecutor’s Officer (OM) said in a statement that Mitch Henriquez began to feel unwell on the way to the police station, following his arrest at the “Night in the Park” music festival in The Hague, nltimes.nl reported. Video footage shows the man was left without medical aid, lying lifeless and handcuffed on the grass while two agents were sitting on him. Henriquez seemed already unconscious when he was dragged into the police bus.

Witnesses said that Henriquez was making jokes with friends after the festival, shouting he had a weapon, when a group of officers approached him, afadenhaag.wordpress.com reported. Henriquez allegedly resisted his arrest. According to bystanders and his family, police used excessive force to arrest the man, afadenhaag.wordpress.com said.

Two managers from the low-cost Uber taxi app have been arrested in Paris and are being questioned over alleged “illicit activity.” The system allows drivers to charge passengers for rides, but escape paying the same taxes as traditional taxis.

Obama signs bill giving himself fast-track powers for trade deals

President Barack Obama signed a bill giving him "fast-track" powers to conduct and conclude trade legislation. The bill was approved by Congress last week after months of contentious debate and several difficult votes.

In addition to the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), as the fast-track bill is officially called, the president signed the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) act, extending aid to US workers who might lose their jobs as a consequence of free-trade deals.

The supreme Court upholds lethal injections

The Supreme Court upheld by 5-4 the usage of a sedative called midazolam in drug cocktails used for execution in several states. Death row inmates argued that the drug failed to block pain and suffering, leading to 'cruel and unusual' executions.